(The Center Square) – Families can begin applying for 20,000 school choice scholarships on Thursday.
The Tennessee General Assembly approved the $7,295 Education Freedom scholarships in a January special session called by Gov. Bill Lee. The program is facing criticism.
Lee posted a video to social media this week encouraging parents to apply for what he calls a “life-changing program.”
Half of the 20,000 scholarships available in the initial year of the program are based on income. The household income must fall 300% below the federal free or reduced-lunch price guidelines, which is $173,160 a year for a family of four, according to the department.
The remaining 10,000 scholarships are “universal” with no restrictions. Nearly 200 schools signed up to participate, Lee said last month.
The scholarships will cost the state nearly $146 million in the first year and $188 million in future years, according to the fiscal note on the school choice bill.
Families must prove that the student is a U.S. citizen or is lawfully in the country, according to the guidelines. And while paper applications will be available in Chinese, Arabic and Spanish, they must be filled out in English, according to the website.
Democrats opposed the school choice package. Sen. London Lamar, D-Memphis, said Wednesday the scholarships are a “billion-dollar boondoggle that shortchanges Tennessee’s public school students and teachers.”
“If wealthy families want to send their kids to private schools, that’s their right,” Lamar said in a statement. “But they shouldn’t expect the public to foot the bill. Tennessee’s public tax dollars belong in public schools – where those funds are subject to accountability, oversight and where every student is welcome.”
One poll showed that Tennesseans support school choice. A January survey of 1,200 registered voters by the Beacon Center said 67% back the plan, including 73% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats. Just 13% said they opposed, and 20% were not sure.
